These are some of the questions that David Potter, an internationally respected historian, answers here. This lively, compact history of Rome—from its origins to the reign of Justinian and the emergence of Mohammed in the sixth century AD—incorporates contributions from economics, archaeology, anthropology, and literary criticism.

The book is beautifully illustrated and includes images of contemporary portraits, paintings, sculpture, buildings, and coins, as well as other artifacts from ancient Rome. There are thirty maps and battle plans, and each chapter includes summaries and color timelines that are designed to help make the chronology of Roman history easier to master.